No One Said Raising Kids Was Easy
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Future Fic. Jeff and Annie are about to get married when they are informed that Jeff has a long lost teenage daughter. Jeff, Annie, and OC.
1. Chapter 1

Before attending Greendale and meeting the study group (or more accurately one particular study group member), Jeff had only been in love one other time in his life.

It was when he first attended college. Not Greendale Community College, but the University of Denver, where he had gone to get his undergraduate degree the first time around. He was sitting in his English lit class when a tall gorgeous woman with flaming red hair walked into the room. He assumed, like him, she was a freshman and offered her the empty seat next to his. She said that was sweet but she had already taken the class her freshman year, before announcing to everyone that her name was Megan and as she was the T.A., she was available for tutoring if the need should arise. Not to be deterred Jeff quickly recovered and formulated another strategy, which was to ask her to tutor him. She agreed and they began meeting once a week to go over the material.

Though she was a believer in working towards your goals, Megan felt it should only extend to what matters to what you want to do. And if you had to do something that wasn't directly related to your goals, such as take a class that was simply a freshman requirement, it was all right to cut corners in order to get ahead. Which was why the help she offered Jeff during their session was less about pure learning, and more about her telling him what kind of questions were specifically on tests and giving Jeff specific information to use on projects and papers. At first Jeff was worried he'd get caught and would be kicked out of the class or even expelled. But as the weeks went on and nothing happened except the teacher being impressed with Jeff's results, Jeff stopped worrying about it. Instead he saw that Megan was right; as long as he got results, it didn't matter how they were achieved.

Although getting a free ride in the class was nice, Jeff didn't forget his main reason for wanting to meet up privately with Megan. He flirted heavily with her during their meetings, complimenting her on everything from her looks to her deviousness. At first she'd just smile and tell him to pay attention to what she was telling him. But eventually she found herself being won over by the charming freshman. They ended up going to an off campus party, which led to a hot hook up in one of the bedrooms.

At first their relationship didn't consist much beyond sex and her helping him cheat. But after a couple of months Jeff found he was developing feelings for Megan. When he brought it up to her she said she liked him too, but didn't want to define their relationship or talk about the future. She was a junior and he was a freshman and that left things too uncertain for them. She told him they should just live in the moment and enjoy what they had now instead of worrying about what might come later.

But despite her initial reasoning, Megan found herself caring for Jeff beyond him being just a guy she simply hooked up with. She still didn't want to look too far ahead, but she started realizing she thought about him in terms akin to a boyfriend. This continued when she met Jeff's mother during Family weekend, and overheard him tell his mom how crazy he was for her. It made her happy and gleeful to know both how much he cared about her and that he wanted his mother to know.

Their relationship continued to grow and flourish as time went on. When they began their second and fourth year they moved into an off campus apartment together. At first it was fun cohabiting together. But after a while Megan began to grow uneasy as the reality of their situation hit her. She was a senior and was set to graduate in May, while Jeff was a sophomore and had two more years of school left. While she loved Jeff, she wasn't sure how well it would work with her in the real world while he was here. She hated that she had gotten herself into this situation, since she had sworn she wouldn't allow it to happen. But she was in a tough dilemma. She loved Jeff greatly, but she also didn't want to hold him back. And as much as she hated feeling this way, part of her worry extended to him doing the same thing to her.

They talked about the reality of their relationship, and Jeff assured her that he wanted to be with her no matter what. If after May they had to endure a long distance relationship until he graduated in two years he was willing to do that. She tried to make the case that it was hard and that she didn't want to drag him down, but he finally convinced her that it could work.

While he knew he had convinced Megan to continue their relationship beyond her graduating, Jeff truly wanted to prove to her just how committed he was. Which was why he searched several jewelry shops until he found an engagement ring that was elegant and affordable. Jeff knew they wouldn't marry until after he was done with college. But he wanted to show her how serious he was, and how invested he was in their relationship. So he arranged to propose to her two days from her graduation ceremony. He made reservations at the perfect restaurant, arranged for a string quartet to play their favorite song, bought a new suit and rehearsed exactly what he was going to say. He knew this was a difficult time for her. He had caught her crying when she didn't think he was around and her nerves were so on edge she was throwing up every morning. But he hoped once he assured her of their relationship she would be less fearful of losing him.

When the big day arrived Jeff went out to make sure everything was tip top before going back. He had been so happy as he drove back to their place with the ring in his pocket. Once he arrived he got out of the car and walked in, ready to tell Megan he had a big surprise. Instead he received the shock of his life when he saw that she wasn't there, along with all of her stuff.

At first he didn't believe that she had just left him without a word. But all his attempts to track her down were futile. He went to the registers and learned she had officially left before the graduation ceremony. He tried to call her parents but they wouldn't tell him anything. He even went to their house to try and see her, but they sternly refused to let him onto the property. It finally hit him like a battering-ram; Megan didn't want to be with him anymore.

Jeff was beyond devastated by their breakup. After his father had left he didn't believe in romantic love or monogamy. After meeting Megan he took a chance on love, and truly grew to believe they were meant to be together. But in the end, all their time together had served to do was reinforce to him that love was a lie and we were only meant to be alone.

He returned to school after the summer for his junior year, but ended up dropping out after less than three months. He just couldn't focus, and it was too hard being around all the memories of the two of them together. Afterwards he floated around for a while, until he decided to follow through on his plans to be a lawyer. He didn't need a bachelor's to practice law. And if there was one thing Megan taught him, it was that in the long run it didn't matter if you cut corners on the unimportant things, if it meant your goals came true. So Jeff lied about having obtained a bachelor's degree and cheated on the LSAT. From there he got into and graduated law school, culminating in securing a position at Hamish, Hamish and Hamlin. For years he rode that wave of success as he won a large number of improvable wins. But eventually his lie was found out, and he lost his job.

Jeff ended up going back to school to get his bachelor's degree legitimately, this time at Greendale community college, where he met the six people who would change him for the better. They taught him to trust and care about others again, and more importantly he learned he no longer liked being alone.

Of course, of all of them the one who changed him the most was Annie. At first it was easy to ignore any romantic feelings towards her, especially since she was so different from the first woman he had fallen in love with. Annie was studious and believed in always working hard for your goals, without ever cutting corners. And she very much liked planning out her future. But despite his resistance, she managed to work her way into his heart. And after a while (far longer than it probably should have taken), he finally relented and accepted that he loved her. Things were rocky at first, since she herself wasn't sure they should be in a relationship after everything he put her through, but he was able to convince her that they belonged together.

Things with Jeff's second major relationship progressed much the same as they had with his first one. He introduced Annie to his mother and they eventually moved in together. And while he had once drunkenly stated that marriage was a lie, he shocked everyone except for Annie (and Abed) by proposing to her a year and a half after they became a couple. Jeff had truly become a happy man.

But while he loved Annie with all his heart, there were brief moments he found himself thinking of Megan. He wouldn't trade being with Annie for anything. But there was a part of him that wished things had gone differently with his first love, and that he at least knew what made her leave him without ever saying a word to him again.

What Jeff never expected all these years later was to get his answer, and so much more.


	2. Chapter 2

"What about putting the Dean at the back table with my uncle Morty?" Annie said as she placed his name on the magnetic seating arrangement.

"Or, we can just not have him come to the wedding. Problem solved."

"Jeff, we already sent out the invitations. We can't exactly uninvite him. And besides, he has to come. He was the first one to know we were engaged."

"That's because he was eavesdropping outside our door the night I proposed to you. Which only happened because he followed us to Denver and moved into _this_ apartment building. That makes two times he's moved into the same building as me." Jeff groaned as finally relented. "Fine, he can sit with your Uncle Morty and my cousin Becky. But if he shows up in a wedding dress and tries to marry me, I want you to know I predicted it."

Annie both laughed and cringed at that mental image as she continued looking at the ever changing dinner table settings. Though wedding planning was more stressful then she would have initially guessed, she knew it would be all worth it once the big day came. In three months she would walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Annie Edison-Winger. That alone was worth all this hassle.

She was snapped out of her concentration when the door buzzer suddenly rang. Jeff got up and went over to the buzzer. "Yes?"

"_Hello, is this Jeff Winger?_"

"Speaking."

"_My name is Chilton Glass. I'm a lawyer who represented someone you knew, a Ms. Megan Milton. I'm afraid we have to talk."_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie sat next to Jeff in grim shock as she listened to the lawyer talk. It was all a lot to process. Jeff had once told her about Megan a long time ago. How she was the first woman he ever loved and how he even thought about marrying her before she left him without a word. When Annie heard the story she felt terrible that Jeff had been hurt so badly. But in the deepest most secret part of her heart, she was a bit relieved that he didn't end up with her. Not just because she wouldn't be spending her life with Jeff. If Jeff had married Megan then he never would have dropped out of college and he never would have lied about his degree. Then he never would have gone to Greendale, would never have formed the study group, and she would never have met all of their friends. And she didn't even want to think about where her life would have gone without the six most important people in her life. So as shameful as it was, she was glad Jeff had not ended up with her.

But even so, she would never have wished for this to happen.

She looked over at Jeff, who looked like he was in shock. He was pale and his leg kept bobbing up and down. She took hold of his hand and laced her fingers with his as Jeff took several deep breaths. "How… what happened?"

"It appeared Ms. Milton had an undiagnosed blood disorder," Chilton said gravely. "She didn't suffer for long. It was only a week from when she first became sick to when she passed. Luckily for her she had the foresight to draw up a will two years ago. This way her final wishes have been able to be honored."

Jeff closed his eyes as Annie squeezed his hand in comfort. She swallowed down a lump in her own throat as she loved over at Chilton. "What about services? Her funeral?"

"I'm afraid it's already been taken care of. Her ashes were scattered on a trail in Ridgway state park. It's my understanding that her parents are erecting a headstone in the family plot for people to visit." He paused as he blinked tears out of his own eyes. "My apologies. This is hard for me to. I was associated with Mr. and Mrs. Miller for years, so I knew Megan for most of her life. And while I was her lawyer I foremost considered her a friend." He sighed deeply before looking over at Jeff. "I'm afraid telling you of Megan's passing is only part of the reason I am here. When Megan passed she left behind a daughter."

"And you're telling me this why?" Jeff said dully as he kept his eyes closed.

"A sixteen year old daughter, Mr. Winger," Chilton said knowingly.

Jeff's eyes widened as he registered what he was being told. "Wait, are you saying...?"

"Yes Mr. Winger. You are that girl's father."

Jeff was vaguely aware of Annie squeezing his hand, but ignored it as all his attention was on what he just heard. "I don't understand how this could happen without me knowing about it. "

"She became pregnant with Alexis not long before graduating college. She didn't want you to know because she felt it might hold you back, and she wanted you to have a life without being tied down in fatherhood. Which is why she left without saying anything, and why she never reached out to you. She also never told Alexis who her father was until after she became sick. Until then she had lied to her daughter and said she didn't know herself. I never felt this was wise, but ultimately it was her decision." Chilton paused as he pulled some documents out of his briefcase before continuing. "I understand this is difficult to hear considering everything, but according to Megan's will you've been appointed to raise Alexis. At least until she turns eighteen."

Annie narrowed her eyes, finding fault in what they were hearing. "Wait? This woman goes to all this trouble to make sure neither Jeff nor his daughter knows the other exists. And then without warning she decided Jeff should be the one to raise her if anything happens? What about Megan's parents or other family members?"

Chilton looked at Annie gravely as he took in her words. "Yes, you are right. She had intended to keep her secret, and this was far from her first choice if something should happen. Originally she had arranged for her sister Katelyn to care for Alexis if anything should happen to her. Unfortunately Katelyn died eight months ago in a car accident, and Megan was unable to update her will accordingly. After Katelyn Sara Bradstone, an old family friend, was meant to take the girl in. But sadly Ms. Bradstone has developed early onset Parkinson's, and feels she is unable to look after the girl while she is dealing with her illness. And I hate to say this, but Megan's parents never approved of their daughter raising a child out of wedlock, and made it clear they are unwilling to take her in. And even if they had decided to take her in, Alexis has made very clear she wants nothing to do with her grandparents after how they turned their backs on her mother." Chilton paused as he let out a soft chuckle. "Though she phrased her feelings a bit more colorfully then I'm telling it."

Though Jeff was in shock he couldn't help letting out a groan of disgust at hearing that. He had been well aware of how stringent and cold Megan's parents were. Hearing that they basically abandoned their daughter sadly didn't surprise him at all. A part of him wondered if it was fate that both of the women he had fallen in love with had parents that abandoned them. Jeff also couldn't help feeling proud of how his daughter stood up and remained loyal to her mother.

"As I was saying," Chilton said, snapping Jeff out of his thoughts. "Her will stipulated that you were to be called on to raise Alexis only if no one else could. And unfortunately, that scenario has occurred. Though no one would blame you if you decide you don't want this responsibility."

"What happens to Alexis then?" Annie asked.

"Normally a family would be sought out to adopt her. But given her age I doubt that is a possibility. Most likely Alexis will be placed in foster care if a guardian isn't found. Then once she turns eighteen, she'll be on her own." Chilton took the documents and placed them in his briefcase before standing up. "I understand this is an enormous decision for you two to make. Alexis had been staying at my home since Megan became sick. I see no reason she can't stay one more night." He reached into the inside pocket of his suit and placed a business card on the coffee table. "Take the day to discuss things and call me tomorrow with your decision. I wish we had met under better circumstances. Have a good day." With that he walked out of the apartment, leaving Jeff and Annie by themselves.

The silence grew unbearable as they sat next to each other. Jeff stared off into space, trying to make sense of the multitude of emotions overwhelming him. Annie looked over at her fiancée, honestly not sure what was the right thing to say. "Jeff-."

"I have to go." He abruptly got up, barely noticing Annie looking at him as he grabbed his jacket and keys. "I'll be back. I just need some time by myself." Without another word he walked out, leaving Annie by herself.

Jeff got in his car and drove out onto the street, trying to keep the vehicle steady as his hands shook. He barely made it a few feet before he pulled over in front of their building. He just managed to put the car in park before he started sobbing. There had only been a few times in his life he had really cried, and this time he held nothing back as the reality of things set in. Megan was dead. She was gone and he would never see her again. Even though he didn't love her anymore, and he hadn't seen her in over sixteen years, she had still been an important part of his life. He would never have the chance to tell her how much he had truly cared for her, or how long it took for him to get over her. He would never completely have closure. He would never hear from her why she did what she did.

His cries became angrier and more desperate as he thought about the daughter he never knew he had, and how she had kept this from him all this time. His sobs morphed into screams as he yelled in rage, gripping the steering wheel as he shook himself. As he poured his grief and frustration out Jeff was completely unaware of Annie looking down at him through the apartment window. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched Jeff in his car.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie looked up as the front door opened and Jeff walked in. "Hey."

"Hi," he said hoarsely. He sat down on the couch before turning towards Annie. "I'm taking her in. I know it's sudden and I haven't asked you about it, but she's my daughter. I wasn't there for her for sixteen years. I'm not abandoning her now."

Annie nodded her head in understanding, having known since Chilton left that this was what he would decide. "I understand. The two of you should get to know each other." She reached over and smoothed a bit of wayward hair that had fallen in his face. "Let's get the spare room fixed up so it's ready for her tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff nervously looked at the door as the seconds on the kitchen clock ticked away. It was almost 3pm, and Alexis and Chilton would be here any minute. He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion, having barely gotten any sleep last night. He was about to meet his daughter. It was a concept he still couldn't believe.

While he still wanted her here, he couldn't help wondering about how this would go. What would she be like? He didn't know much about dealing with girls. Women, sure. But girls, in particular teenage girls? They were a completely different ballgame. How was he supposed to be a father to her after all this time?

It wasn't that he was adversed to having children. He and Annie had discussed it and they knew someday they would like to have children together. He even found himself growing fond of the idea of having kids. But raising a child from infancy, and having to suddenly raise one as a teenager were two completely different things. He'd already missed out on so many steps and milestones.

But even though the circumstances were completely bizarre, he knew he had to do this. He was not going to be his father and abandon his own flesh and blood. No matter how she came into his life, she was his daughter and he was going to be there for her.

He looked up at Annie, almost chuckling as she paced back and forth. "You'd think you were about to meet your own long lost daughter."

"I'm just nervous."

"Well calm down. I'm the one who should be terrified here."

Just then they heard a knock at the door. Jeff got up and went over to the front door, Annie right behind him. He took several deep breaths to try and calm his nerves before he felt Annie's hand touch his shoulder. He smiled at that simple calming act before opening the door.

"Hello again," Chilton said. He stepped out of the way, revealing a teenage girl standing behind him. As soon as Jeff saw Alexis he almost gasped in shock. She looked just like Megan. She was the same height as her mother (a couple inches shy of six feet tall), had the same facial features, same slender figure, same fair complexion, the same vibrant red hair.

There were a few differences. Her nose was a little longer than her mother's button nose (though not anywhere close to Jeff's nose length). She had a splash of freckles on her neck her mother hadn't possessed. And instead of green eyes Alexis had the same shade of blue eyes her father possessed. But even with those distinctions, if she and Megan had stood side by side it would have been clear they were mother and daughter.

"Jeff, Annie," Chilton said. "I'd like you to meet Alexis."

"Lexi," she said quietly while keeping her eyes downward.

"I apologize. I keep forgetting that's what you prefer to go by these days." He patted her on the shoulder before placing a few suitcases in the apartment. "Most of her stuff has been put in storage. There's a few more boxes that I left with the doorman." Chilton opened his briefcase and pulled out a manila folder, which he handed to Jeff. "There's some documents in there that you'll need to sign, including the form that puts your name on Alexis's birth certificate and officially gives you parental rights. You can bring them over to my office or mail them to me when you get the chance." He closed his briefcase as he nodded in finality. "Well, I really must be going. Good luck with everything. Lexi, if you need anything don't hesitate to call."

"Sure," she said dully. She continued to look at the ground as the door closed, leaving the three of them alone together.

Jeff looked at his daughter, not sure what to do. It seemed too soon to hug her. And a handshake didn't seem appropriate. Instead he simply stepped forward as he looked at his daughter. "Hello Lexi. I should probably introduce myself. My name is Jeff. And…I'm your father, but I'm guessing you probably already know that." He waited for her to respond, but she didn't say anything. After a few moments Jeff beckoned Annie to step forward. "This is my fiancée, Annie."

"It's nice to meet you," Annie said.

Lexi looked up at the two of them, her eyes filled with dull sadness. "I'm tired. I'd like to lie down."

"Of course. Let me show you your room," Jeff said. Lexi gripped the straps of her backpack as she followed Jeff and Annie down the hall to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. "Here you go," Jeff said uncertainly. "It was our guest room, but it's yours now. You can do whatever you want to make it yours."

"We got new sheets yesterday," Annie said as Lexi put her backpack down and fell face first on top of the bed. "And, there are towels on the dresser, and I put a few books of mine on the nightstand if you want something to read." She looked at Lexi, seeing that her eyes were closed but that she wasn't asleep. "If you need anything we'll be here." With that Annie took Jeff's hand and led him out of the bedroom before closing the door.

"Well that went well," Jeff said sarcastically.

"Jeff, she's been through a lot. She's lost her mother and just met her father."

"I know. I just…" He trailed off as he sighed deeply.

Annie ran her hand over his cheek as she looked into Jeff's eyes. "Give her time. This is going to be an adjustment for all three of us. Let's give her some space and go from there."


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff tried to concentrate on whatever he was watching on TV, but instead he kept looking over at Lexi's room down the hallway. It had been almost two hours since she had arrived, and so far he had seen his daughter for a grand total of two minutes, at best. He wanted to go over there and see how she was doing. He wanted to start getting to know her. He had already missed out on sixteen years of her life. He didn't want to miss out on anymore.

He glanced out the window, where Annie was sitting on the terrace working on her laptop. She had said it was best to give Lexi some space and let her open up to Jeff at her own pace. But he was tired of waiting around to get to know his daughter. Especially since he knew she was extremely upset over losing her mother and everything else that came along as a result. With that he got up and went to his daughter's room.

"Alexis," he said as he knocked on the door. "Lexi. Can I come in?" He waited a few moments for an answer, but didn't receive one. He turned the knob and opened the door slowly.

Lexi was sitting up on her bed, her head turned down staring at a sketch pad as she moved a pencil across the page. She didn't look up or acknowledge Jeff as he awkwardly walked over to her. "Hey." He pulled a chair over and sat next to her, still amazed at how much she resembled her mother. He almost had to remind himself that the person on the bed was his daughter and not in fact Megan. He took a moment to just simply look at her before glancing at her drawing. It was of a young woman standing in front of a grave. In the sky was a sad woman in a flowing dress flowing above her, while below the gravestone underground was a coffin with a decaying body inside. Though Jeff didn't know a lot about art, it wasn't hard to guess who or what his daughter was depicting in her picture. Though understandable, it was all extremely morbid.

"That's…really something," Jeff said. "Do you like to draw?" He internally winced when all he got was a non-committal grunt for a response. "When I was a kid I used to draw all the time. But I wasn't that good at it. They used to look like advanced stick figures." He chuckled at his childhood memory, but stopped when Alexis didn't even look up at him. "Lexi, can you just stop that and look at me please?"

Her hand paused in mid line before she set the pad and pencil down and finally looked at her father. Jeff tried not to look proud of this minuscule victory as he gathered himself. "Look, I know how weird this must be. I mean, until yesterday I didn't even know you existed. But I really want to get to know you and make up for everything I've missed. I'm sure you have a lot of questions and are feeling a lot of things right now, but I want you to know I'm here. So anything you want to ask or say to me…" He faded out as he looked into her eyes (while her face was Megan's, those blues were all Jeff's, to the point where Jeff felt like he was staring into his own).

Alexis struggled to voice what she was feeling before she softly blurted out, "I hate you." She immediately regretted saying the first thing that came to her when she saw the hurt look on Jeff's face. "I didn't…that's not…" She blinked back tears as she tried to voice her feelings. "I never knew anything about you. The only thing my mom said about my father was that he was gone and it was just her and me. And as I grew older, I envisioned you as this jerk who ran out on us when my mom she became pregnant with me. And I hated you for abandoning us. And now all of a sudden I find out it was all a lie, and the reason you weren't around was because my existence was kept from you. I just can't…I just can't flip a switch and suddenly hug you. I've hated you for so long, it just can't go away just like that, even if I want it to. I know it's unfair, but I just can't."

Jeff desperately tried to keep his emotions (which had been extremely raw ever since yesterday afternoon) from roaring to the surface at what he was hearing. He was trying not to hate Megan for how she had decided to handle this whole situation. But discovering that her actions had caused his daughter to cast him in a role similar to his own father made him hope there was an afterlife just so he could confront her when he died.

"Lexi," Jeff said as he prepared to try and assure her that her image of him was false. "I can't promise that I'll always know what to do when it comes to being there for you. I can't even promise that I would have been the greatest dad if your mother had stayed and told me she was pregnant. But I can promise you this: if I had known about you, I would have never left you. I know what it's like to grow up without a father…and I would never have put any child through that.

"I know this isn't going to be easy for any of us. But I really want you to give me a chance. Can you maybe try to do that?"

Lexi looked at Jeff as she sighed deeply. It wasn't a definite yes, but Jeff was willing to take it. "All right. How about we start things small? I was going to get some pizza for dinner. Do you like pizza?" He let out a chuckle at the 'what are you, stupid?' look she gave him. "Right, sorry. Not even a day and I've already become a lame, embarrassing parent."

Lexi shook her head as she too laughed at what he said. "Yes, I like pizza."

"What toppings to you like?" Jeff asked.

"Peppers and mushrooms."

"Oh, actually, Annie doesn't like peppers." He fidgeted uncomfortably before coming up with a plan. "How about she gets a small pizza with her toppings, and we can get a large with peppers and mushrooms. Sounds good?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that went well," Jeff said with disappointment.

"It wasn't that bad Jeff," Annie said as she turned down their bed and laid down on her side.

"She hardly said anything during the whole meal," Jeff exclaimed as he laid down next to Annie. "No wait, I forgot. She did take time to made fun of me for using my napkin to soak up pizza grease. That was a pleasant blast from the past."

"Jeff, she's a teenager. She's going to make fun of us."

"She didn't make fun of you."

Annie restrained herself from pointing out that the reason Lexi didn't make fun of her was because she didn't say a single word to her during the entire meal. "Jeff, she's a kid, you're an adult. Get over it. I'm sure things will get better between you two. It's just going to take-."

"Time, I know," Jeff said testily.

"It's only the first day Jeff. And besides, you two are spending the whole day together tomorrow, just the two of you. That should give both of you a chance to start getting to know each other."

"Yeah," Jeff said, unable to keep the happiness out of his voice about tomorrow. He kissed Annie good night before turning off the bedside lamp. Annie fell asleep right away, but Jeff lay awake, mentally thinking over the best places he could take his daughter to.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes, I know this is last minute, but I'm not going to be making it in today….I told you, a family situation has come up and I'm taking the day off to handle it. I'll call you later to let you know if I'll be in tomorrow or not. Goodbye."

Jeff hung up his phone, glad he had gotten that out of the way. He wasn't too worried. He had been at his new law firm for over a year now, so he could afford to take a day off. Besides, this was more important, even if it would mean playing catch up later on in the week.

He looked up as Lexi walked out of her room, frowning when he saw that she had her backpack with her. "What's with the bag?"

"I'm going to go to school today," she said with fake nonchalance.

"What? I thought we were going to spend the day together. We talked about it last night at dinner-."

"I know. But I changed my mind. Everything's just changing so fast and I just, I just want to see my friends. I'll see you later." Without another word she quickly walked out of the apartment.

"Lexi. Lexi, wait!" Jeff started running after her when he stopped in frustration. If she didn't want to spend the day with him, it wouldn't do either of them any good to force her. He gritted his teeth, hating that this was how things had gone. He had spent a while thinking of stuff they could do together, including something he was sure she would love. Now all that planning was for nothing.

He started pulling his phone out to tell his office that he would be coming into work after all when he spotted the manila folder Chilton had given him. He picked it up and began looking through all the documents that were inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes Mr. Zuckerman, I can take your case. But with the breaking and entering charge your ex-wife's legal team will put us through the ringer when it comes to parental rights. I'm just warning you right away that it's going to be an uphill battle."

Chilton looked up as his office door opened and Jeff walked in. "Mr. Zuckerman, I have to go. I'll call you this afternoon." He hung up the phone as he looked at Jeff in surprise. "Mr. Winger. I wasn't expecting you to actually come in," he said as he nodded his head towards the folder Jeff was holding. "You know you could have just FedExed those documents over to me."

"I had the morning off. So I thought I'd bring them over."

Chilton took the folder and looked through it. "Everything seems to be in order. Though if I were you I'd suggest contacting Alexis's school and personally informing them of your relationship with your daughter, in case you have to pick her up or come in for a conference. I'd also advise having your fiancée do the same."

"Okay," Jeff said.

"Something tells me you didn't just come by to drop off the forms."

"I just…" He shuffled his feet as he thought about why he had come down here. "You've known Lexi for a while, right?"

"I have. Most of her life actually."

"Do you have any…I don't know, tips or anything? What she likes or hates? I know she liked to draw. I was going to take her to an art museum today. Part of a getting to know each other kind of day. But she changed her mind and went to school instead."

"That's not that surprising. I've seen people handle grief and chance in many various ways. And some people do best when they can keep up a regular routine. Given how much has changed for her, I suspect it's comforting for Alexis to be in school with friends right now. I'm sure you're eager to get to know her, but it's going to take time."

"I know," Jeff said heavily. "And maybe I jumped the gun with planning a whole day out. I just want…she's my daughter. I've already missed out on her first sixteen years. It's hard for me to be patient. I don't want to wait any longer to get to know her."

Chilton nodded his head in understanding. "I get feeling like that. I have three kids myself, and even I sometimes feel like I'm not getting to know them as well as I should. I can only imagine the feeling of wanting to get to know your children after all this time." He paused as he thought about Jeff's predicament. "She liked animation."

"Excuse me?"

"Before you said you wanted to take Alexis to an art museum. She specifically likes drawing and animation rather than paintings and sculptures. I know she's said she would like to work for an animation studio and make a movie or television show. Or create her own comic book. She was working on a few ideas for a comic before Megan got sick," Chilton said.

Jeff let out a laugh at hearing that. "So she likes comics? Guess we have one thing in common after all."

"She tends to find humor in dark things," Chilton continued. "And loves cats even though they make her eyes water. She's done fairly well in school, though she will voice her opinion if she thinks a subject or project is a waste of time (Jeff had a sudden flashback of his tutoring lessons with Megan). And she is fiercely protective of her mother. I don't know how you're dealing with your feelings towards Megan after everything, but I would be very cautious about speaking ill of her in front of Alexis. Those are just a few things I can think of when dealing with that girl."

Jeff tried to hide his appreciation at getting even those few tidbits. "Thanks. That should help. Okay, I should go. I'd originally taken the day off, but now I'm going to go in for the afternoon. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Okay then. Have a good day. And Jeff." Jeff paused at the door as he turned back towards Chilton. "Good luck."


	4. Chapter 4

Lexi opened her locker and grabbed a book before slamming the door shut. She then smiled as she felt a hand tap on the shoulder, knowing exactly who was behind her. "Hey Cassidy," she said as she turned around

"Hey girl," the shorter girl replied cheerily before growing more serious. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral."

"What funeral?" Lexi exclaimed bitterly. "Her ashes were scattered in the woods. That's not a funeral. And don't get me started on that stupid headstone. There's not even anything in the grave. The only reason it's there is so her parents can pretend she wasn't cremated."

"Yeah," Cassidy said uncertainly, unsure of how to respond to that.

"I got the flowers you sent though. Thanks."

"No prob," her friend told her as the two of them walked towards the cafeteria. "So, have you met your new dad yet?"

"Yup. Moved in yesterday."

"What's he like? Does he look anything like you?"

"No, he looks nothing like me. He's really tall and has brown hair and a giant forehead. And I don't know why, but his face reminds me of a Muppet." Lexi shrugged as she thought over how to describe the way things had been going with her and her father. "He really wants to get to know me. He kept asking me all these questions yesterday. And he wanted to take me out today to spend the day with me or something."

"So why didn't you do that? I'd rather do that then be stuck here?"

"I just couldn't. I mean, you know how I always felt about my dad. Even if it was a lie, I just can't hug him and change my feelings like that," Lexi exclaimed as she snapped her fingers to illustrate her point.

"Least it sounds like he's trying. He could have been a douchebag and just pretended you didn't exist. But it seems like he wants to be there for you. You should give him a chance."

"I guess," Lexi said. "Oh my god, you should see his fiancée. She's almost my age."

"Really?" Cassidy said in surprise.

"Okay, so she's in her twenties. But she could practically be like my older sister. I don't know what to think of my dad being one of those cradle robbing old guys chasing women half his age."

"Maybe I'll swing by and see what he's doing, you know, since you blew him off today" Cassidy added playfully.

"Ew, gross Cassie."

"I'm just messing with you."

"Don't even going there. It's bad enough seeing him with Bambi eyes."

"Bambi eves?"

"That's what I'm going to call her. She has these freaking huge eyes. She looks like an Animi character. And you should have seen her with all the questions she kept asking me. 'Lexi, how do you like school? Do you want to talk about how you're feeling or anything?' Just shut up and leave me alone. She knows me for two minutes and acts like we're besties going to get our nails done." Lexi gripped her book tightly as anger took hold of her. "I swear, if she expects to boss me around and have me call her mom, she's in for some serious fucking disappointment."

"I'm sure that's not going to happen," Cassidy replied, though not sounding entirely convinced herself.

"It won't. I already had a mother. I don't need a replacement."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lexi slid her house key (one of the 'goodies' she had received) into the front door lock and stepped inside. She went to the kitchen to get something to eat when she saw a book on the counter, entitled _Animation Methods, the only book you'll ever need_. On top of the book was a post-it with the following note. 'Lexi, a mutual lawyer friend of ours told me you were into animation. Hopefully you find this book enjoyable. I'll see you later tonight when I get home'. In spite of herself Lexi couldn't help smiling at that. Her dad was really going above and beyond to try and take an interest in her. Maybe he wasn't so terrible after all.

She turned her head as the front door opened and Annie stepped in, her arms weighed down with grocery bags. "Lexi, hey. Can you please help me with these groceries?"

"Can't, gotta read," Lexi said as she took the new book and went into her room.

"Lexi!" Annie yelled as the teenager shut her bedroom door. Annie sighed in frustration before juggling the falling bags as she brought them into the kitchen. Just as she made it to the counter one of the bags ripped and a box of eggs smashed against the floor.

"Son of a-," Annie hissed in frustration as she grabbed some paper towels to clean up the mess.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lexi looked up as she heard a light knock on her door. "Yes?" She smiled as the door opened and her father stepped in. "Hi."

"Hello. I see you got my gift," Jeff said as he indicated the book in her hands.

"I did. Thanks. So far it's really interesting."

"Glad you like it. I'm not really versed in drawing or art techniques, so I wasn't sure what to get you."

"Chilton's always encouraged my art. So I'm not surprised he told you to get me a book on animated drawing.

"Actually, Annie was the one who suggested it. Chilton told me you liked animation and drawing, but Annie said I should get you a book about it."

Lexi frowned at hearing that. "Anne told you to get me this?"

"She actually prefers to go by Annie. And yes, she said a book would be a good gift. Though I wanted to get you something, so it was kind of 50/50." Jeff chuckled as he sat down on the bed next to his daughter. "I probably wouldn't have suggested a book, but it's Annie, so of course that's where her mind went."

"Great."

Jeff frowned at Lexi's sudden lack of enthusiasm. "Is everything ok?"

"It's fine," she said as she put the book down without marking where she left off. "Thanks for the gift."

"You're welcome," Jeff said, confused at why she had suddenly turned cold. "So…how was it seeing your friends at school?"

"It was fine," Lexi replied with a tone that told Jeff she didn't want to talk.

"Okay, well, I'm making turkey chili for dinner. You're welcome to join us, or you can eat it in your room if you want."

"I'll decide later."

"All right." Jeff got up and went out into the kitchen, where Annie was dicing onions. "I swear, every time I think I'm making progress I take another step back."

"What happened now?" Annie asked as she put the chopped onions in the pot and washed off the knife.

"I don't know. She seemed really excited about the book and wanted to talk. And then she just suddenly closed up."

"I'm sure she's going to be moody for a while. She's both grieving and trying to adjust to a whole new life. It's going to make it hard for her to open up." Annie dried the knife and put it away as Jeff opened a jar of corn salsa and poured it in the pot. "And you said she wanted to talk for a bit. That's better than yesterday."

"Great. I just have to bribe her to get her to open up for thirty seconds."

Jeff let out a sarcastic grunt at that thought before feeling Annie come up beside him and place her hand over his. He instantly relaxed, as he often did from Annie's touch. "Jeff, I know things between the two of you are going to get better. But it's going to take time and patience. I know you don't like hearing that, but it's the truth."

"I know. Believe me, I know."

They continued to work together in sync until the chili was done. Annie ladled out three bowls worth and filled three glasses of water as Jeff went to Lexi's room to tell her dinner was ready. Annie sat down as Jeff and Lexi came over and joined her at the kitchen table.

Lexi looked down at her bowl before tentatively picking up her spoon and slowly dipping it in her chili. As she brought a spoonful to her lips she heard Annie say, "How was school today Lexi?" She glared at her, causing Annie's smile to deflate slightly. "You know, your father and I actually met at school. We were going to college at the same time-."

"My mom said she met my dad at college," Lexi interjected, "That would have made you, what, six?"

Annie picked up on the challenge in Lexi's voice, but decided to let it slide. "It's a long story, but your dad had to go back to college a few years ago and that's where we met. We were both in the same study group for Spanish class. Actually," she said with a laugh, "your dad pretended to be a Spanish tutor to try and impress one of our friends and formed the study group. It didn't take that long before we realized he knew as much Spanish as we did."

"To be fair, you probably knew more than any of us. Miss Studious had a habit of reading the whole textbook within the first week of class," Jeff said playfully.

"I didn't read the whole textbook," Annie countered defensively. "I just liked doing a little extra reading."

"So you're kind of like Hermione, doing a ton of pointless extra work. Personally, I thought she was a big dork who tried way too hard to impress people. She probably would have been a better character if she just left people alone instead of butting into their business," Lexi said.

Annie looked over at Lexi in surprise, clearly catching the insult the girl had just dished out. "Um…you like Harry Potter?" she asked, trying to defuse the growing tension.

"Yes I do, Anne. It's a good book series for _children _to read," Lexi said pointedly.

Annie glanced over at Jeff, who looked like he had no idea how to respond to this. Before she could say anything Lexi suddenly said, "You know which characters I found interesting Anne? Lupin and Tonks. Here's a woman who kept throwing herself at this much older man, even though she could have been with lots of guys who were more age appropriate. And in the end it led to them getting killed. It probably would have been better for both of them if she'd just left him alone."

"Ok, first of all, Alexis," Annie said with unmistakable bite to her voice. "I don't think either of them dying in the last book had anything to do with being happily married. And second, Tonks wanted to be with Lupin because she loved him. The fact that he was older than her didn't matter to her at all. Love doesn't always follow how society says it should."

"Clearly you would think that," Lexi responded with a smirk as she pushed her chair back. "I think I'll finish my dinner in my room." Without another word she took her chili and deliberately walked to her bedroom.

Annie sat there slack jawed, completely shocked at what had just transpired. She looked over at Jeff, who was glancing down at his lap. "Thanks for sticking up for me there," she said with angry sarcasm. She quickly got up from the table before going to their bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Jeff sat at the table, completely thrown by what had just transpired. If it had been anyone else that had attacked Annie like that he would have stopped them at the first insult. But the fact that it was his daughter throwing the verbal barbs left him unable to do anything but sit there in shock. He knew he had to try and smooth things over. So Jeff got up and went to their bedroom.

Annie was laying down on her side of their bed, flipping through channels in a way that clearly showed she didn't care what was actually on TV. He sat down next to her as she unconsciously moved her legs to make room for him. "Well, that was unexpected," Jeff said lightly to try and lift some of the tension.

"Unexpected. She attacked me for asking her how her day was," Annie said as she sat up. "I felt like I was being picked on in high school again. I thought I'd outgrown stuff like that. Did she say anything about me before dinner?"

"I don't think so," Jeff contemplated. "She told me she liked the book. And then she became closed off and defensive."

"Well did you say anything to upset her?"

"Why would I have said anything to upset her," Jeff said defensively.

"Jeff, I'm just trying to figure out why she went after me like that."

"I'm going to talk to her about it. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Was that a question? Because honestly, I'm upset." Annie shuttered in frustration before relaxing slightly as Jeff put an arm around her. "I know Lexi's going through a lot, but she just ripped into me, like she hated me or something. It hurt me to hear her talk to me like that. Especially since most of it was about us and our relationship."

Jeff gave Annie a one armed hug before getting off the bed. "Let me see if I can set things straight." He walked over to Lexi's room and knocked on the door. "Lexi. Can I come in?" Not waiting for a response Jeff opened the door and walked in.

"You couldn't wait until I said come in," she hissed as Jeff sat next to her on the floor beside the bed.

"Sorry," he said halfheartedly. "What was that at dinner? Annie's really upset with the way you talked to her."

"What, she can't take a bit of tough criticism?"

"Lexi," Jeff sternly replied, an unmistakable trace of anger entering his voice. "You attacked her for no reason. I want to know why."

Lexi shrugged, not wanting to reveal the full reason for her hostility towards her father's fiancée. "I just…she keeps butting into things. I was sick of it."

"When has Annie butted into things?" Jeff asked.

"Last night, when she kept asking me all those questions. Then just now, when she starts interrogating me before I even have a chance to eat."

"She didn't really ask you that many questions. And she just wants to get to know you. You're a very important part of our lives now."

"Sure," she said uncertainly.

"I'm serious. If you want I'll tell her not to be as inquisitive as she's been and to back off a little. But right now the two of you are the most important people in my life. I don't want you two going at it like that again."

Lexi sighed deeply at hearing that. "Fine, I won't go at her, all right?"

"Good," Jeff said slowly, not entirely convinced by her answer. "You should probably go and apologize at some point."

"Okay," Lexi said out loud while internally thinking that there was no way in hell she was going to apologize to her dad's pocket sized princess.

"All right then," Jeff said. "Listen, I know you didn't want to spend the whole day with me today. But I think it would be good if this weekend the three of us all did something together. How does that sound?"

Lexi pulled her knees into her body as she really thought over what her dad had just said. "Can it be something just you and me do instead?"

"Well…" Jeff said uncertainly. In truth he wanted Annie there so she and Lexi could have a chance to bond together. But, he did originally want just the two of them to spend the day together. Maybe she also wanted to get to know him better. "All right. This time it'll just be you and me. What would you like to do on Saturday?"

"I want to visit mom."


	5. Chapter 5

Jeff looked at the area of trees Lexi had directed him to. They didn't seem any different from the many other trees the two of them had passed on the trail they had taken. But apparently these trees had to have held some significance to Megan, since this is where her ashes had been scattered.

When Lexi said she wanted to see her mom, she made it very clear that she had no intention of going to the cemetery where her headstone was erected. In her own words, "It was just something her parents did to keep up with appearances. That's not where her body is." So they got up at dawn and drove to Ridgway state park, where they took a nature trail until they got to the spot Megan's remains had been spread.

Jeff looked over at Lexi as she let out a shaky breath. "We used to come here every summer and camp for a week ever since I was seven. That first year we were walking on this trail and I saw a rabbit at this very spot, and she took a picture of it for me. And every year I'd always insist that we take this trail and come back to this same spot, because I thought the rabbit would come back. And we'd always come back, no matter what. No matter how silly it was, she did it so I'd be happy." She shuttered as she hugged herself. "Last summer was the first time we didn't go camping. I thought I was too old for it and told her I didn't want to go. And now…"

Jeff made a move to hug her just as she looked at him. "Can you just give me a few minutes, so I can talk to her by myself?"

"Yeah, sure." He walked a little ways away, far enough so she wouldn't be overheard, but close enough so he could still see her. As his daughter knelt on the ground Jeff shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I let her take us all the way over here," he said out loud. "It's not like Megan's ashes are still here. They've probably blown away. And anyway, does it even matter? It's not like there's real proof there's an afterlife and it doesn't just all end when we die. She could just be talking to herself."

He shook his head as he found himself looking up at the sky in spite of what he was saying. "Though I really hope there's an afterlife and when I die I can see you again, because I have a lot to say that you need to hear. Like you leaving me without a word when you were pregnant with our daughter. I know you're the mother and everything, but she was my kid too, Megan. You had no right not to tell me you were pregnant with my child. Maybe I wouldn't have been the greatest father, but I deserved to raise her and find out for myself, instead of you automatically taking that away from me.

"And while I'm on that subject, how the hell could you let her think I was a deadbeat dad who abandoned you? After everything I told you about my own father, you just let her think I was like him. Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

Jeff looked down at his hands, seeing that he was digging his nails into his palms. He unclenched his fists and looked at the half moon marks in his skin before glancing back skyward. "You really did a number on me when you left Megan. I opened up to you and trusted you and in the end, you hurt me just as much as my dad did. Maybe even more, since you knew how fragile I was and you still left me anyway. And I'm not sure I can ever forgive you for it all. For leaving me, and not telling me about Alexis until you had to, and for how you made her imagine me to be."

Jeff paced a little, feeling kind of stupid to be essentially pouring his heart out to himself. But he kept going, as if somehow Megan could actually hear what he was saying. "I have no idea if you know anything that's happened to me since you left, but you should know that I've met someone. Her name's Annie and she's, nothing like you. She's pushy and annoying and never lets me take the easy way out of things. There have been plenty of times she's driven me crazy. But in spite of all that, and sometimes maybe even because of it, I love her. She's strong and kind hearted and gives people the benefit of the doubt more completely than anyone has a right to. You'd think it's due to being naïve, and believe me, that's how I judged her for quite some time. But she's seen too much darkness in her life to say that about her. She's helped make me a better person, and on some level I think I've done the same to her. I couldn't imagine not spending the rest of my life with her."

As he finished his Annie speech Jeff let out a laugh that was devoid of any humor. "But despite everything that's happened between us, I don't hate you Megan. Even after you left me, and everything you did with Lexi, and after I moved on, I actually miss you. I may hate what you did, but I don't hate you. I wish things had gone differently for us. And I wish you were still around. I'm not saying I regret meeting and falling in love with Annie, because I don't. But I never wanted you to die, no matter how much you hurt me. And I hate that my last memory of you was telling you not to eat those crackers because I was going to surprise you by taking you out to dinner. I just wish I had had a chance to talk to you before you died."

He looked over at Lexi, who was standing and looking at the ground, before again glancing back upward. "I'm not going to give up on her. I'm going to raise her and be there for her. So you don't have to worry about her being alone. And, I still have no idea if I've just been talking to myself this whole time."

With that Jeff walked over to Lexi, who hadn't moved from where he had left her. If she heard anything Jeff had just said she was making no indication. Instead she continued to look at the spot Megan's ashes had been spread. She was sniffing loudly and had tears running down her cheeks. Jeff wished he had some tissues or something he could give her.

Instead he reached over and took hold of her hand. She glanced over at him, but made no move to remove her hand from his. The two of them stood next to each other, not saying anything as they reflected on the woman they had once known, and how they had been brought into each other's lives.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie opened the oven and took the casserole out, setting it on the table before taking the baked potatoes out of the toaster oven. She glanced at the clock, seeing it was 5:44. Jeff had called a couple of hours ago and said they should be home by six, so she had a little time left to finish dinner.

She was glad the two of them had gone on this trip together. Annie knew how badly Jeff wanted to bond with his daughter, and she hoped this would help him do that. Plus it would give him a chance to say goodbye to Megan. Annie knew that Jeff was really upset by her passing, and going to where her ashes had been scattered might give him a sense of closure.

Just as Annie finished taking the crescent rolls out of the oven and putting them on the table the front door opened and Jeff and Lexi walked in. "Hey you two. How was the trip?" she asked.

"A barrel of laughs," Lexi responded coolly.

Jeff glanced disapprovingly at Lexi before saying, "It was intense, but we're glad we went."

"Well I'm glad for you two. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."

"I'm not hungry. We already ate," Lexi said as she went to her room, leaving Jeff and Annie by themselves.

Annie looked over at Jeff in disbelief. "You already ate?"

"Yeah," Jeff said sheepishly. "Lexi was hungry, so we stopped at a diner on the way home."

"Well why didn't you call and tell me you were eating?"

"I don't know. We just started talking and it just slipped my mind."

Annie didn't say a word as she doled out some food on her plate and began wrapping everything up into containers.

"It looks great," Jeff said as he helped her clean up. "And we can reheat it and have it tomorrow."

"Right," she said dully.

"Annie wait. There's something I want to talk to you about. Can we sit down?"

Annie put the Tupperware container of green beans in the fridge before sitting down at the kitchen table. "What is it Jeff?"

"I want Lexi to be in our wedding."

"Jeff, that's not a question. Of course she's invited to the ceremony."

"I meant I want Lexi to be in the wedding party." He sat down next to her as he continued. "It would really mean a lot to me if she was in the actual party instead of just being a guest. She's my family, and I want her there."

Annie sighed as she took in what Jeff was asking. She didn't want to seem catty, but given how Lexi had been treating her, she wasn't sure she wanted her in her wedding party. But she could see this was important to Jeff. And in regards to their wedding, he hadn't put up any real arguments with anything she wanted. So if this was the one thing in their wedding he wanted, it wouldn't be fair to say no.

"Alright, she can be a bridesmaid." She smiled in spite of herself at seeing Jeff's face light up. "You're right, she is family and she should be in it. But that means we have to ask someone else to be a groomsman then."

"Okay, I'm sure we can find someone."

"You know, there is someone who would love to be in the wedding."

"No, no way!" Jeff yelled as he correctly guessed who Annie was talking about. "I'm not having Craig Pelton in our wedding. He's lucky he got an invite."

"Well who else can we ask? Because it's either him or Chang and between them Craig's the lesser of two evils."

"I don't know…" He drummed his fingers on the table, trying to think of someone else. "There's Franklin from my job."

"Jeff, I don't want someone who hits on me every time he sees me."

"Oh, but it's okay to have someone who hits on _me_ whenever he sees me?"

"We don't have to decide right now Jeff. Let's both think it over and I'm sure we'll someone."

"Alright. In the meantime, how about we go ask Lexi?"

They went over to her room, with Jeff knocking on the closed door. "Lexi, it's me and Annie. Can we come in for a sec?"

"Fine," they heard. They opened the door and stepped inside, seeing Lexi sitting in a chair working with her scratch pad. She glanced up from her work, making a point to only look in Jeff's direction. "What is it?"

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about something important," Jeff said. "As you know we're getting married in three months. And we would like you to be a bridesmaid in our wedding."

They waited a few minutes for her response. But after Lexi simply went back to her drawing Annie jumped right in. "This day isn't just about us, but about the people who mean the most of us." She ignored the cold chuckle Lexi gave her as she continued. "And I know we haven't known each other for very long, but you're family now, and it would mean a great deal to both of us if you were in our wedding party."

Lexi looked up at Annie, frowning at the woman's smiling face. "I'll think it over, Anne."

Annie's smile deflated at again hearing Lexi deliberately not call her by her preferred name. Before she could say anything Jeff went over and asked her about her drawing. Annie stood off to the side, watching the two of them talk about the girl's artwork. Although she had just said that Lexi was family, right now she felt like the odd person out.


	6. Chapter 6

As the days went by Annie began to feel a bit left out in the new family dynamic. It wasn't as if Jeff was outright ignoring her. But it seemed like he and Lexi were always doing something together, like going to an animation festival at Denver University, or a Colorado Avalanche game. Many nights she talked Jeff into taking her clothes shopping, which would lead to them getting something to eat along the way and leaving Annie alone to make dinner for herself.

Annie wouldn't have felt so isolated if she was being included in their outings. But anytime she offered to join them Lexi hemmed and hawed that she wanted to have 'father daughter time'. And even when Jeff tried to convince Lexi that Annie should come along also the girl came up with excuse after excuse until Jeff simply said, "Next time all three of us will do something." But of course when next time arrived the results was always the same.

Annie hated to admit it, but she was starting to feel a bit jealous. She was glad Jeff was getting to know his daughter. But she hated always being left out. And she was getting sick of how Lexi was treating her. Anytime she tried to talk to the girl Lexi either ignored her or replied with a snide remark. And no matter how many times Annie asked her to turn down her music or the volume on the laptop, Lexi never gave up a single decibel. Annie knew it had to be difficult for the girl to adapt to a soon to be stepmother, but she didn't know how much longer she could take all this hostility.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie groaned as she walked into the apartment, hoping for a relaxing end of the day. After a rough day at work, and the argument she had with the florist over the wedding flowers on her lunch hour, all she wanted to do was put on sweat pants and have a stress free evening.

_I'm just glad tomorrow's Friday_, Annie thought as she went into the kitchen. She put her bag on the kitchen counter, accidently knocking Lexi's book bag over. As she picked up the papers that had fallen out she saw a hand written note that was addressed to Jeff. Annie read the note, seeing it was from one of Lexi's teachers.

_Dear Mr. Winger. _

_My name is Sophia Paterson, and I am Alexis's biology teacher. While we have never been introduced, I can tell you that Alexis is a bright student who's been pulling an A- average in my class. However, I've noticed a drop in her performance over the last few weeks that I must inform you about. She got an F on both her last test and quiz, and hasn't been turning in her homework. I understand things have been difficult for her, with her mother dying and going to live with a father she's just getting to know. I have even suggested to her that she go talk to the school counselor to help work through things. But there are only so many leniencies we can offer to our students, no matter what the circumstances are. I hope she will start improving her academic performance, since there is still time for her to regain the grade she is capable of earning. _

Annie frowned as she finished reading the letter, seeing it was dated this Monday. That meant Lexi had had the letter for three days and hadn't yet shown it to Jeff. She decided to say something to the girl, both about her dropping grade and her keeping information from the two of them.

As Annie approached Lexi's room she noticed a new addition to the house, which was a poster size drawing Lexi had hung up on the front of her bedroom door. The drawing was of a giant rag doll with red yarn hair and a nasty smile. The rag doll was lifting one of its feet and having it hover over a cracked porcelain doll that had dark hair and big blue eyes.

Annie sighed in frustration, having a good idea about what the drawing was meant to represent. She was all for giving Lexi room to be creative, but this was too much. Since she had to talk to Lexi anyway, she figured she'd ask her nicely to move her artwork.

"Lexi?" she said as she knocked on the girl's door. "It's Annie. Can I come in?" She waited for a response, but after several moments of silence she simply opened the door and want in anyway.

"Hi," she said as Lexi sat on her bed, her laptop on her lap. "What are you doing?"

"Stuff," the girl simply said.

"Okay." She decided to start with something fun before getting into the issues at hand. "There are a couple things I want to talk to you about. But first I wanted to talk to you about the bridesmaids dress for the wedding."

"Are we going to have a day trying on dresses? You and all your friends spending hours finding the _perfect_ look," Lexi snidely said.

Annie sighed deeply, desperately trying to keep a lid on her mounting anger. "Actually, I wanted to tell you there isn't going to be a uniform bridesmaids dress. I figured instead of picking out something most people would hate, it would be better if all the bridesmaids picked out a dress themselves. That way they can wear something they personally like and can wear it after the wedding instead of just for that day. So as long as it's royal blue, you can wear whatever dress you like. And as long as it isn't too expensive, Jeff and I have no problem buying it for you."

Lexi looked up at Annie, actually thinking that was a pretty good idea. But she didn't want to give in and admit it. So instead she simply replied with, "Okay, whatever."

Annie decided to just move on, since she wasn't going to get any sort of admiration from the girl. "As I said, there's a few things I wanted to talk to you about. I'd appreciate it if you took down that drawing you put on your door."

"Why? It's my room," she challenged. "You said I could do whatever I wanted to it."

"Yes," Annie said patiently. "This is your room, and you can decorate it however you want, including the inside of the door. But the outside of the door is considered the general apartment. And I'd rather you don't cover the outside of your door with things. Especially a giant drawing that makes me uncomfortable."

"What's wrong with it?" Lexi asked with false innocence.

"I think we both know what you're saying with that drawing. Can you please take it down?"

"No."

Annie looked at Lexi in surprise. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm not taking it down. It's my drawing and I want it on the outside of my door."

"Well this is my apartment and I'm telling you I don't want anything on that door."

Lexi got off the bed and rose to her feet, towering over Annie. "And what are you going to do about it? You're not my mother."

"You're right, I'm not," Annie said, standing her ground as she looked right into the younger girl's eyes. "But I am responsible for you. And as long as you're living with me and Jeff you'll do what I say. Now either take that drawing down or I'll take it down myself." With that she walked out of the room before she really lost her temper.

She made it out onto the terrace before yelling in frustration. She knew under the best circumstances teenage girls could be difficult. But she couldn't believe Lexi had talked back to her like that. The girl had been so disrespectful just because she asked Lexi to take something off her door. It was infuriating.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, how are my two favorite girls," Jeff called put as he walked into the apartment.

"Jeff. We need to talk," Annie told him.

"Can I put my briefcase down first," he said with a smirk. The smile left his face when he saw the look on her face. "Okay, okay. Give me a second." He took his suit jacket and tie off before following Annie out onto the terrace. "What's going on?"

"You're daughter is infuriating and disrespectful. That's what's going on"

"What happened?"

"She put a huge drawing on the front of her door. When I asked her to move it she refused, saying it was her room and that I had no authority over her."

"Well, it is her room," Jeff said simply.

"Jeff, that's not the point. She's been nasty and rude to me ever since she got here. She goes out of her way to be hostile to me. That drawing is just further proof. "

"Hang on, let me see this thing." Jeff walked into the apartment, coming back to the terrace after a few moments. "It's just a doll standing over another doll."

"Jeff, it's meant to be us. She's the giant rag doll and I'm the one underneath it."

"I think you're reading too much into it," he said to her.

"No I'm not. And even if I am, the fact that she refused to take it down when I asked her to just proves that I'm right. She has no respect for me and makes me feel like a third wheel. I want all of us to get along, instead of feeling like an outsider in my own home. And I don't want to always be excluded when you two do something."

"You're not excluded-."

"Jeff, every time you two do something it's just the two of you. Anytime I try to come along she comes up with some reason not to include me. I know she's your daughter and it's important that you two spend time together, but it's important that I spend time with her and get to know her too."

Jeff tried to argue, but couldn't as he realized she was actually right. "Okay, I'll talk to her and I'll make sure she treats you better. And the next time she wants us to do something, I'll make sure you're not left out. Is that everything?"

"No, there's more." Jeff followed her inside as she handed him the note from Lexi's biology teacher. "Her book bag knocked over and I found this when I was cleaning up her stuff."

Jeff took the letter and quickly read through it. "So she failed a test and missed some homework. It's not the end of the world."

"Jeff, we have to start taking an active role in her life, and knowing more about her."

"I am getting to know her," Jeff said, annoyed at feeling he had to defend himself. "What do you think I've been doing all those nights the two of us have gone out?"

"Jeff, it's great that you're spending all this time with Lexi. But we need to know about all aspects of her life. We need to know how she's doing in her school, and who her friends are, and what she's doing when she's not here. It's not just about being her friends; it's about being her parents."

For a moment Jeff was angry that his parenting had been brought into question. But it quickly evaporated as he realized he hadn't actually done too much real parenting. He really had been acting more like her friend than like a father.

"I just…we've been getting along really well these last couple of weeks. And I don't want her being mad at me."

"I know," Annie said simply. "But she'll be better off if you lay down the law when it's needed instead of letting her get away with everything. And I know she'll appreciate it later on in life, even if she won't now."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lexi, it's Je…it's dad. Can I come in?" he asked as he knocked on her door. A moment later he opened the door as she called out that he could come in.

"Hey," he said as he closed the door. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Jeeze, everyone wants to talk today. First pocket princess wanted to talk and now—"

"Don't call Annie that," he said angrily before making himself calm down. "That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to stop being so nasty to Annie. She's my fiancée and you're soon to be stepmother, and you've been excluding her and treating her terribly."

"No I haven't," she said simply.

"Yes, you have. Whenever we do something you've insisted that Annie doesn't come along."

"I just want to get to know my dad."

"Yes, and I love spending time with you. But it's important that you also get to know Annie. She's a really amazing person and I don't want the two of you at each other's throats. What is it about her that you don't like?"

Lexi was silent for several moments, not wanting to reveal that she didn't want the twenty something to act like she was her mom. "She just bothers me."

"Well, if you spent time with her and got to know her I know you'd like her. Can you please try and get along with her for me?"

"Fine," she said simply.

Jeff smiled before taking the teacher's note and putting it in front of her. "I also wanted to talk to you about this. Annie found it when your bag fell and she was picking up the stuff that fell out."

_Sure she was_, Lexi thought sarcastically as she looked at the note. _I bet she found it because she was snooping through my stuff._ "So I missed some school work. I have other things on my mind besides school right now."

"I know. And from the note it seems your teacher feels you're a good student who's understandably fallen behind. But I don't want you to fail your class and have to repeat it or go to summer school. So can you do your homework and try and improve things?"

"Okay," she said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello?" Jeff said as he came in and heard noises. "Anyone here?"

"It's me," Lexi called out as she came out of her room with her phone in her hand.

"Hey Lexi. TGIF."

"No one says TGIF anymore dad," she said while playfully rolling her eyes. "Is it all right if I spend the night at Cassidy's? We're going to stay up all night and watch every Saw movie."

"Sure," Jeff said before remembering what Annie had said about knowing who Lexi's friends were. "Actually, I would like to meet Cassidy before you go over there."

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm trying to get to know you, and I'd like to match a name to a face when you talk about them. Just have her come over here to pick you up. I'm not going to interrogate her, just a simple 'hi, how are you?" After a few moments of silence he decided to offer his counter proposal. "Okay, I'll give you a choice. Either she comes over for a quick meet and greet, or I drive you over there and get to know her entire family."

She glared at Jeff before bringing her phone up to her ear. "Cassie, is it all right if you pick me up and meet my dad?...Because you're so interesting he wants to know you…Okay, see you at seven." She hung up before looking at Jeff. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dinner was good," Lexi said politely at Annie.

"Thank you," Annie said back to her. All through dinner Lexi had been almost formally polite to Annie. While the girl wasn't being exactly warm, the politeness was an improvement over the previous hostility she had felt.

They started cleaning up when the buzzer rang. Lexi ran over and pressed the button. "Yeah?"

"_It's me!_" Cassidy said.

"Come on up," Lexi said as she buzzed her in. A couple minutes later she opened the door as soon as she heard a knock. "Hey," she happily said as the two girls hugged. "Ready for a night of torture?"

"Can't wait. I still haven't seen the last two."

Lexi stepped back as Jeff approached the two of them. "Yeah, this is my dad."

"Pleasure to meet you," Jeff said.

"Same," Cassidy said. "I can see where Lexi gets her height from. But her mom was also tall…so I guess it doesn't really matter if your tall or short."

Jeff laughed at that one as Annie came over. "Hi, I'm Annie. Jeff's soon to be wife."

"Nice to meet you," Cassidy told her. "You're really pretty."

"Oh, thank you. I hope the two of you have fun tonight. It was nice meeting you," Annie said as she went back to the kitchen to clean up.

Jeff pulled his wallet out and gave Lexi a twenty. "Well, I won't keep the two of you from your marathon. Here's some money in case you two want to get pizza or something. I'll see you tomorrow Lexi."

"Thanks dad," Lexi said as the two of them walked out into the hallway.

"Why didn't you say your dad was a giant hottie?"

"EW, gross Cassie."

Jeff chuckled as he closed the door and went into the kitchen. Annie was at the sink, her back to him as she washed dishes. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, it looks like we're alone tonight. We have the whole place to ourselves."

"It looks like we do." She felt Jeff's fingers lightly rub her stomach as he pulled her hair to the side and kissed her shoulder. "Stop," she moaned. "We've got to clean this stuff up."

"Annie, we're parents now. We've got to take advantage of any alone time we can get."

"You'll just look for any excuse to-." She gasped as Jeff's fingers slipped under the waistband of her skirt and underwear and rubbed against her. "Screw it, the pans can soak for a while." She turned around and pressed her lips against his as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He backed up into the refrigerator as they slid to the kitchen floor.


	7. Chapter 7

"This is so boring," Lexi complained as she stared at the TV screen. They were sprawled out in the den at Cassidy's house, currently watching the second _Saw_ movie in their Sawathon. Lexi had been fidgety during the first movie, and had now moved onto openly complaining during the second one.

"I thought you wanted to have a _Saw_ marathon," Cassidy reminded her. "You said it'd be fun to watch all of them in one night."

"Yeah, I thought it'd be fun. But I've seen them twenty times already. I could quote them all by heart." She grabbed a slice of pizza and picked off the mushrooms and olives, eating the vegetables as she gestured to the screen. "See, right now Jigsaw's gonna introduce himself as John. And in a moment he's going to say the press and cops gave him the name Jigsaw, not him."

"Maybe someone's having a party or something," Cassidy said as she picked up her cell phone and scrolled through her FaceBook page. "Ug, Stacy's again saying I have to be into girls cause I play lacrosse. And…" Cassidy suspiciously trailed off as she lowered her arm.

"What?" Lexi asked.

"Nothing. She just said something about you."

Before she could do anything Lexi grabbed Cassidy's phone out of her hand. Her frown deepened as she read what was on the screen. "That bitch."

"Ignore her Lex. She's just trying to piss you off."

"I'm saying something to her Monday. If she thinks she can call me an 'orphan in waiting' and not get away with it, that bitch is in for a shock. Why are you even friends with her on FaceBook anyway? She's been a bitch ever since middle school."

"Know thy enemy. Besides, it's FaceBook. It doesn't mean I care about her. I'm friends with people on there I've never even met," Cassidy explained.

Lexi looked back at the screen as the Saw characters discovered the used needle pit. "I don't know why we're watching this; we already know how it ends. The house is on tape, the kid's in the safe, and she's Jigsaw's secret apprentice."

The DVD menu suddenly came on as Cassidy turned off the movie. "Okay, this isn't fun anymore. If you're just going to complain the whole time, then let's do something else. What do you want to do Miss Complaining?"

"I don't know, but not this. Who can have fun watching a bunch of movies in a row anyway?"

"I can," Cassidy quietly said to herself. The two girls sat in silence before Cassidy suddenly chuckled. "Hey, do you remember that day during Christmas break, when we were at Sasha's house and her brother got us that bottle of cinnamon schnapps, and the three of us drank it and tried ice skating in our shoes on that lake behind their house?"

"And then when we came back Sasha's mom smelled the alcohol on us," Lexi responded with a smile. "And I said 'we're not drunk' before throwing up all over their sheepdog. And then the dog jumped on Sasha's mom and got puke all over her." She barely finished the story as the two girls laughed hysterically, not caring that Cassidy's parents were asleep upstairs.

"Oh my God, that was such a fun night, even if we got in so much trouble," Cassidy said.

"My mom was so mad," Lexi stated. "She didn't let me leave the house for the rest of the break." Lexi's laughter slowly morphed into sad chuckling as the memory of her mother washed over her.

"Lexi…"

"Screw this," she said as she got off the couch. "I want to get out of here. Let's go for a walk."

"Okay," Cassidy said uncertainly as she followed her friend upstairs to the living room. She frowned as Lexi made her way to the liquor cabinet and opened it. "What are you doing?"

"Just taking a little something for the road."

"Lexi, I don't think we should-."

"Come on Cassie. Your parents have tons of stuff and they hardly ever drink, they'll never notice anything. We'll fill up a water bottle, even out the liquor with some water, and we're good."

Cassidy fidgeted uncomfortably before nodding her head in agreement. The two girls found a large empty water bottle and filled it with raspberry vodka and Jagermeister. They put some water in the liquor bottles to make it look like nothing had been taken before the girls set off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away! I'm nodding my head like 'Yeah!' Moving my hips like 'Yeah!' Yeah I got my hands up, they're playing my song, and now I'm gonna be okay! Yeah! It's a party in the USA! Yeah! It's a party in the USA!" the girls screamed as they drunkenly swayed in the middle of the street. "Miley Cyrus may be a nut job, but I LOVE that song!" Lexi yelled.

"It's great, it's great," Cassidy giggled as she took a swig from the bottle and passed it to Lexi. "Where are we anyway? I don't recognize any of these houses."

"Who cares! We're young and should enjoy life, 'cause it can end at any moment. Just ask my mother," she said darkly as she took a long drink of their alcohol concoction. "She was completely fine, and then one day out of nowhere, she wasn't."

"I know, it's terrible," Cassidy sadly slurred as she gripped onto Lexi's arm. She pulled Lexi down as they fell onto the ground, struggling before they managed to sit up on the curb. "She was a good person."

"Yeah, she was," Lexi said. "Except for the part about lying to me about my dad for all these years. That part sucks." She paused as she took another drink from the bottle, dripping some of the liquid down her chin. "And I can't even be mad at her, because she's dead. If she was alive I could yell at her and demand answers for what she did. But because she's gone, it's like I have to be okay with it, 'cause it's terrible if I'm pissed at someone who's dead."

"I think it's okay to be mad at her," Cassidy slurred as she clumsily took the bottle and drank from it. "It's not like you don't love her. You're just mad at something she did. And it's not like your mom died with that secret. She made sure in the end you could still meet your dad. And you're with him now."

"Yeah. Except it's not just me and my dad. That pocket princess had to come included also. Do you know what it's like to see your dad shacked up with a woman young enough to be my older sister? She's not even ten years older than me. It's disgusting."

"She didn't seem that bad," Cassidy said softly.

"You only met her for two seconds Cass. She's the worst. 'Lexi, turn down your music. Make sure you're doing your homework Lexi. If you want to talk about anything I'm here. I don't like it when you express yourself with creative artwork Lexi, take it down from _my_ door'. Who the hell does she think she is? She's not my mom and she thinks she's entitled to tell me what to do.

"I bet she's just with my dad because she wanted to piss off her parents by dating someone way older than her," Lexi reasoned. "She's probably never had a care in the world, and never had anything bad happen to her in her life. She's a pampered little princess who's just had everything handed to her. She doesn't know what real pain is, or what it's like to not have someone in your life anymore. She'll never understand me at all. She's…just a nuisance who's trying to control my life.

"Cassie." She looked over at her friend, seeing Cassidy passed out drunk against her shoulder. She thought about waking her up so they could try and find their way back, but instead sat there and finished up the rest of the bottle. She looked up at the night sky, wondering if her mother was up there looking down at her, before she hung her head down and closed her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie slowly opened her eyes, feeling the sunlight from the bedroom window on her face. She was a little sore, but it was a good kind of sore. The kind where you first wonder, 'why do my muscles ache', before you smile at remembering the bedroom antics that made them sore.

She stretched underneath the covers as she felt Jeff stir beside her. "Morning."

"Good morning," she responded with a smile. "When we get a house we're having sex in every room the first night."

"I'm sure Lexi will be more than willing to vacate her room for the cause," he said with a laugh.

"Ew. Okay, almost, every room. But when we do get a house we're having sex in the kitchen, and the bathroom, and our bedroom, and the living room-."

"So basically it'll be last night, but in a house instead of an apartment?"

She groaned good naturally as she got out of bed and put on her robe. "I feel like French toast for breakfast. I know how you feel about carbs, but you know how well I make it."

"Tempting, but I don't want these to go to waste," he gestured to his abs as he pulled on a pair of boxer briefs.

"After our workout last night, I think you can afford a decent breakfast that's not black coffee and egg whites."

"Fine, I'll have _half_ a piece. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," she said as she kissed him before making her way into the kitchen. "Do you know when Lexi said she'd be back? Because I'll make some for her if she's going to be around for breakfast."

"I don't know, let me check." Jeff pulled out his phone, but frowned when he saw there was a message from an hour ago. He played the voice main, hearing an unfamiliar male voice.

_Mr. Winger. This is Marcus Sawyer, Cassidy Sawyer's father. I was given your number by your daughter, who is friends with my daughter. My wife and I woke up this morning to find both girls were gone and had to go out searching for them. It would be best if you came over to collect her in person. We live on 21 Cameron Street in Cheery Creek. I also have to warn you that there are some things we need to discuss…" _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jeff asked his daughter. "What made you think it would be a good idea to steal liquor and go off wandering around all night?"

Lexi groaned as she sat in the living room, rubbing her temples. It was bad enough being yelled at by Cassidy's parents. But being chewed out by her dad while she had a hangover was much worse.

"It wasn't that big a deal," she meekly said.

"Yes, a sixteen year old wandering around drunk is a very big deal," Jeff sternly said.

"You could have been hurt Lexi," Annie said. "You could have gotten into an accident, or God forbid someone could have found you and taken advantage of you in that state."

Lexi glared at Annie, not appreciating being lectured by someone who wasn't that long ago a high school student herself. "I'm fine, all right."

"Well, you're going to have a lot of time to be fine, because you're stuck here for the rest of the weekend," Jeff told her. "Until Monday morning you're only leaving here if there's a fire."

"And I don't think it's a good idea for you to be hanging out with this Cassidy," Annie added.

"She's been my best friend since 2nd grade, and I've only known you for a few weeks," Lexi said as she rose from her seat, her anger temporarily numbing her hangover. "What the hell gives you the right to tell me who I can or can't be friends with?"

"Okay, alright," Jeff said as he got between the two women. "Lexi, why don't you go to your bedroom? Now," he added with a tone of finality. He waited until Lexi stomped to her room and slammed the door shut (which caused the doll poster to shake ominously) before turning towards his fiancé. "Was that really necessary? Trying to tell her she can't see her friend."

"Jeff, she got liquor from the girl's house. And her parents had no idea they were out all night drunk."

"Yeah, that wasn't good. But come on, I know for a fact you were drinking at 19. Or am I remembering Troy's birthday wrong?"

"Jeff, there's a big difference between having a few drinks with friends in college, and stumbling around drunk in the dead of night when you're still in high school," she said sternly.

"I just think you're being a bit harsh. I actually do agree with her. We don't have a right to tell her who she can't hang out with. I can see why she was mad at us about that one."

Annie sighed deeply, feeling her anger rise closer to the surface. "She wasn't mad at you. She was mad at me."

"Can we not do this right now," Jeff angrily said. "I know she's treated you badly, but don't act all put upon. It's not like she's not pissed at me also."

"I'm not acting all….I'm just saying I'm not going to roll over and let her walk all over me."

"Yeah, but you have to know where to draw the line. It's not like you're her mother."

"I know I'm not her mother!" Annie screamed. "She reminds me of that every God damn day. But I'm still responsible for her. And maybe if you had shown a little responsibility instead of just being her friend this never would have happened!"

"Where the hell do you get off questioning my parenting?" Jeff yelled at her. "I'm learning as I go along! And considering I could have split like my father did when I found out I had a kid, I think I'm doing a damn fine job! And maybe she does have a point! What right do you have to always boss her around when you're not even her parent!"

While he was still mad, Jeff instantly regretted what he just said. Especially when he saw the look of pain in her eyes from his words. He expected her to yell or cry or say something. But instead she turned around and walked out of the apartment before he could say anything.

"Shit."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff paced through the living room, not sure what to do. It had been fourteen minutes since Annie had walked out and he was at a loss. Should he go after her, or stay here and give her space? A part of him wished Lexi would come out of her room so he could have something else to focus on. But she was staying put, and he didn't have the energy to initiate anything with her on his own right now.

_Screw it, I can't wait here_, he thought. He grabbed his keys and opened the front door, only to find Annie sitting in the hallway, leaning against the wall. "I thought you left?"

"I did, this is me leaving," she said simply.

"Mind if I join you?" Before she could respond Jeff slid down and sat next to her. "I'm sorry for what I said back there. I was angry and it was way over the line." He waited for her to say something, but she just continued to stare into space. "Annie…"

"Jeff, I know you're that girl's father. And I _know_ I'm not her mother or anything like that. But I care about her. And I want to be there for her. Even if she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you Annie. She just doesn't know how you fit into her life."

"Well, where do I fit into her life?" Annie genuinely asked. "I know I'm not her mother, and I would never even try to pretend I am. But you're her father, and in two months I'm going to be your wife. So I'm asking you, what role am I supposed to have in your daughter's life?"

Jeff paused for several moments, wishing he had a clear concrete answer. "I…I don't know exactly. I guess, right now, you're someone who cares about her, and will be there for her when she needs things she might not be able to get from her father."

"I'm sorry for what I said before," Annie told Jeff as she looked at him. "I know you're doing your best, and it's not easy to be someone she can have fun with and someone who has to discipline her. We both have fathers who sucked, and you're nothing like them."

"And you're nothing like your mother. I admire you for continually being there for her even after everything she says to you, especially since she's not your child. You're a good mother."

"Jeff, I'm not Lexi's mother.

"No, but being there for her like that, that's very mother like behavior. And someday she's going to realize just how lucky she is to have you in her life."

_I hope so_, Annie thought with uncertainly.


	8. Chapter 8

Lexi groaned as she walked down the hallway at school on Monday. After spending most of the weekend confined to her apartment, she was actually glad to be at school. In retrospect the weekend could have been worse. At least she had had her laptop, phone and sketchpad to entertain her. But even so, being kept in lockdown still wasn't fun.

She turned the corner and walked past a row of lockers before approaching Cassidy, who was taking books out of hers. "Hey Cass."

"Hey," she said softly.

"I know I texted you already, but I am sorry for talking you into getting drunk on Friday."

"I know," Cassidy sighed as she closed her locker. "I can't be that mad though, since it wasn't all your fault anyway. I could have said no instead of going along with it."

"Are your parents still mad at me?" Lexi asked tentatively.

"They were upset. But luckily they like you. I think they were madder at me for letting you talk me into taking the stuff anyway. I'm still grounded until next Monday."

"Jeeze, I was only grounded for this weekend. You can't go out this coming weekend either?"

"Yup," she responded shortly.

"Wow, that's harsh."

"Well, they said next time I think about doing something like that, to remember the consequences of my actions."

They walked down the hallway to homeroom when they saw Stacy Keener and her group of worker bees standing by the trophy case, pointing at Stacy's phone while they laughed about something. As soon as they saw her Lexi's huffed in anger as she remembered what the girl had posted over the weekend.

"Hold my bag Cass," she said as she handed her backpack to her friend.

"Lexi, don't—" Cassidy implored as her friend walked right up to the school queen bee.

"Stacy."

The girl and her group all looked over at Lexi, regarding her in an unpleasant manner. "What do you want?"

"Where the hell do you get off calling me an 'Orphan in waiting'?"

Stacy shrugged as the other girls snickered at Lexi's discomfort. "I don't remember doing that."

"Really? Because I clearly remember reading it on FaceBook on Friday."

"Huh? Well then, I'm sorry," she said in a way that clearly showed she couldn't care less. "Is that all?"

"No, that's not all. That's a horrible thing to say to someone."

"Oh please ginger, I wasn't saying anything that isn't true. I'm sure your new dad is just _loving_ a teenager being dropped on his doorstep."

Lexi's eyes blazed with anger as she looked at her smug adversary. "Shut the fuck up, you vapid whore!"

"What?" Stacy said in shock as her cronies looked on apprehensively. "What did you say to me?"

"You heard me."

"Oh, you little sack of-"

"OKAY!" Cassidy exclaimed loudly as she literally moved between the two girls. "Let's just calm down-"

"Get the hell out of my way!" Stacy yelled. "I'm gonna tear her apart."

Just then the bell rang, followed by a teacher telling students to get to class. Stacy glared at Lexi and Cassidy, hatred almost oozing from her pores. "This isn't over." With that she stormed away, her clique right at her heels.

"Are you okay?" Cassidy asked her friend.

"Do I look like I'm okay," Lexi snapped as she breathed in anger.

"Hey, don't bite my head off over this. I'm on your side."

Before she could respond both girls looked over as their homeroom teacher stuck his head out from a couple doors down. "Girls, get in here. Class has already started."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lexi paced around the living room after school on Friday, hating how the rest of her week had gone. Making good on her promise, Stacy had taken it upon herself to launch a whole new on-line assault on her, calling her everything from a big dumb giant to saying her mom got sick and died just to get away from her. Just the thought of Stacy laughing as she posted all those terrible things made Lexi want to strangle the girl.

_She thinks she's so great_, Lexi thought_. Just because her parents are loaded and got her a corvette, and she's had boobs since the beginning of middle school, she thinks everyone is beneath her and she can do whatever she wants. Well, I am going to get her back for all of this. _

She looked to the front door as it swung open and Jeff walked in. "Hi dad."

"Hey Lexi," he said warily.

"Is everything all right?"

"It's just been a stressful week at work. The firm I work for is in the process of absorbing another firm based out of Boston. We've spend months working out all the details and drawing up contracts. And now all of a sudden they're coming up with all these demands and stipulations that were never originally agreed on. I'm just glad it's Friday and I get a two day reprieve." He sighed as he took off his tie and unbuttoned his collar button. "If this keeps up I'll probably have to go to Boston to help get this whole thing sorted out. This is _just_ what I need less than two months before the wedding." He looked over at her, a little surprised that she didn't say anything regarding the wedding (since most times Lexi groaned in annoyance whenever it was brought up.) "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah…I'm just…this girl at school keeps bullying me. Saying stuff about me behind my back and writing mean things about me on-line."

"Like what?"

Lexi fidgeted, not wanting to her dad to know the exact extent of what was being said about her. "Just stuff, like making fun of my hair and height."

"Guess some things never change. I was always the tallest kid in my class and kids made fun of me about my height until high school. Though by then they'd moved onto making fun of my nose and forehead. The point is, you can't let bullies intimidate you. You have to stand up for yourself and show them they can't walk all over you."

Lexi nodded her head as Jeff smiled at her. "And anyway, you don't have to worry about bullies this weekend. The three of us are going to Greendale so you can meet your grandmother. And if we have time I want to introduce you to the rest of the family. Abed, and Britta, and Shirley, and Troy and Pierce."

"I thought you said those guys were your study group friends?" Lexi questioned.

"Yeah, but they're also family. Eventually you'll learn that your family isn't just who's related to you by blood. How close are you to your friend Cassie?"

"I've known her since she moved here in second grade. She's like a sister to me."

"See. Just because you're not related to her by blood, doesn't mean she isn't part of your family."

Lexi nodded her head, wondering if this was her dad's oh so subtle way of trying to convince her that Annie was _supposed_ to mean something to her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lexi, wake up. We're almost there," Jeff called out from the front seat.

Lexi slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep. The trip hadn't been bad at all. She pretty much listened to her i-pod and napped the whole time. She sat up and looked at the passing streets, wondering if her father ever walked around here drunk when he was her age. She doubted he'd ever truthfully tell her if he did, but she was guessing the answer was probably yes.

"Here we are," Jeff said as he pulled into the driveway of a modest sized white house with yellow shutters. The three of them got out of the car and walked up the pathway as an older woman with medium length greying hair came out of the house. "Jeffrey."

"Hi mom," Jeff warmly replied as he hugged his mother and kissed her on the cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm great, couldn't be better. Hello Annie."

"Hi Doreen," Annie said as she hugged her future mother in law. "It's been too long. We haven't seen you since we had lunch just before New Years."

"I know. But I know you kids are busy, planning a wedding and everything. Plus you've had other things to occupy your time." She smiled as she looked over at Lexi. "And is this my granddaughter?"

"Yes she is," Jeff proudly said as Lexi walked over. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lexi."

Doreen Winger barely kept an emotional sob from breaking out as she hugged her granddaughter. Lexi briefly stiffened before she returned the hug. "It's nice to meet you, um, Gran."

"The pleasure is all mine dear," Doreen said. "And I like that, Gran." She pulled back, unable to help running her fingers down Lexi's long red hair. "Wow, you look just like I remember your mother looking. For a moment I thought…" She shook her head, wanting to change the subject after noticing the look on Lexi's face. "Okay everyone, I made sandwiches and fruit salad. Let's head inside and I'll set up lunch."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I got the brooch you mailed me last week Doreen. Thank you," Annie told her.

"You're welcome dear," Doreen said as she refilled the three adult's wine glasses. "Every bride needs to wear something borrowed. Though if I had known you were coming over I would have just given it to you today."

"It was kind of a quickly planned trip Mom," Jeff told her.

Doreen nodded her head before turning her attention to her granddaughter. "So, how do you like school Lexi?"

"It's okay. I really like my art classes. I want to do something in animation after I graduate. Probably go to art school and then hopefully find work in an animation studio."

"That's wonderful. Though I hope you don't take after your father and skip your education before applying for your dream job."

"Mom," Jeff said sternly.

"What's this?" Lexi asked, clearly amused at her dad's discomfort.

"Oh Jeffrey, it's not exactly a secret. She's going to hear about it eventually." Doreen ignored the looks Jeff shot her as she turned towards Lexi. "When your father was nineteen, he dropped out of college. And _apparently_ he thought it would be fool proof if he applied to law school and just told everyone he'd completed his undergraduate degree."

"It worked for a while," he meekly said.

"Yes it did. But eventually you got caught and had to-"

"So he dropped out of school around the time I was born?" Lexi interrupted with.

"Um," Doreen said. "I guess he did."

"It seems like that's common for my dad, missing out on lost opportunities." She glanced at Annie before asking Doreen, "Obviously you knew my mother. What do you remember about her?"

"Um, well, she was a lovely girl. Very driven and focused. And I know I said this already, but she looked just like you."

"So she was a good fit then, for my dad."

"Yes," Doreen said uncertainly, not missing how uncomfortable Annie was looking at this line of questioning. "You know, I'm sure you could tell us some nice stories about growing up with your mom Lexi."

"So you liked my mom, didn't you Gran?" Lexi asked, ignoring Doreen's question.

"Lexi," Jeff said. "I think it's a good idea if you stopped-"

"I'm just asking a question."

"Yes, I did," Doreen said evenly.

"So would you have rather she had stayed and been the one that was with my dad?"

"Lexi, stop this!" Jeff yelled at her.

"Oh, we're almost out of wine," Annie suddenly said in a high voice. She quickly got up from her seat and grabbed her jacket from the hall closet. "I'll just run to the store and get some."

"Annie, wait," Jeff said. "You don't-"

"Jeff, we need wine and we're almost out," Annie said, trying to hide how upset she was. "You stay with your mom and I'll just get some more." Before he could say anything else she quickly walked out of the door and drove off.

"What the hell was that?" Jeff asked his daughter.

"I was just asking my grandma a few questions."

"I know exactly what you were doing, and I'm getting sick of-"

"Lexi," Doreen interrupted. "Why don't you go down to the den and watch TV while your father and I clean up here."

"Okay," she said in a small voice before going downstairs.

Neither Winger said anything at first as they wrapped up the sandwiches and got a container for the fruit salad. After a few minutes Doreen said. "Lexi is certainly a bright and spirited young woman."

"Yes she is," Jeff said shortly.

"And she knows how to manipulate a response out of people."

"She wasn't manipulating you, Mom."

"I wasn't talking about myself Jeffrey, I'm talking about Annie. She was clearly uncomfortable with what Lexi was trying to instigate. Though as someone who's well versed in working to get a certain response out of someone, I would have figured you'd have noticed it sooner."

"I did see…" He groaned in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's not like something like this hasn't happened before."

"That sadly doesn't surprise me. Jeff, I'm sure it must be difficult for that girl. Having her mother die and then suddenly going to live with a father who's about to marry another woman. But I'm a bit disturbed by how good she is at making Annie uncomfortable. And I'm surprised that you're not doing more to stop this bullying."

"I am…" Jeff meekly responded. "And I wouldn't call it bullying."

"Really Jeff, because that's sure what it looked like to me. I know she's your daughter and you need to be there for her, but you also have a future wife to think about. I have no hesitation in saying that Annie coming into your life was the best thing that ever happened to you. And it would be devastating if she ended up not feeling wanted because of all this."

"Mom!" he sternly said. "What, you think Annie's going to leave because of this?"

His eyes widened as his mom gave him a look that showed that was a very real concern. "I just know that the only way this is ever going to work is if those two can see that they're now family. I don't know how Annie's doing-"

"Annie's great," Jeff begrudgingly said. "She's constantly trying to be there for Lexi."

"Then you need to make sure your daughter treats her stepmother with the respect she deserves."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Once Annie came back it was decided it would be for the best to cut the trip short. The car ride back was tense, with no one saying much of anything. Lexi sat in the back, playing her i-pod so loud that the music could be heard through her ear buds.

Once they arrived back home Jeff told Lexi he wanted to talk to her. He waited until they got in her room before letting out some of the anger he had kept in check. "This has to stop now. Right now!"

"What are you—?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been treating Annie terribly ever since you arrived here, and I'm sick of it. That stunt at my mother's was beyond over the line. I want to know, right now, why do you have such a problem with her?"

Lexi shifted uncomfortably before she finally yelled, "I don't want a replacement mother, alright!"

Jeff looked at his daughter, trying to calm down somewhat. "Lexi, I know it's been hard losing your mother. But I promise you Annie is not trying to take her place. She just wants to be there for you and be someone you can turn to and bond with. If you gave her a chance you'll see that you two actually have a lot in common."

"Oh please," she snidely responded with. "Like I have anything in common with a pocket princess who's never had anything bad happen to her in her life. Honestly, you can do better than a daddy issues girl who-"

"SHUT UP!" Jeff roared, shocking Lexi into silence. "You think you have my fiancée all figured out? Well I can tell you you're completely wrong about her. She's dealt with and survived more crap then anyone has a right to. Did you know she's battled and overcome a pill addiction in high school? Or that she was kicked out of her house for going to rehab instead of ignoring her problem? Or that she once lived in a dangerous neighborhood where stabbings were a common occurrence? And that this all happened before her ninetieth birthday? But I'm guessing you didn't know any of that, and just assumed whatever you wanted to. Well I'm sick of you acting like she's the enemy. I want you to come out when you're ready and apologize to Annie for how you treated her today. Do you understand me?

"But Dad-"

Do you understand me," Jeff sternly repeated.

"Yes," she said shortly.

"Good." With that Jeff left, hoping she would come out soon, and instead being severely disappointed when Lexi never left her room all night.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The tension in the house escalated all through Sunday, and by Monday Annie was at her wits end. She barely paid attention to anything at work and actually got lost on the way home because she was so out of it. When Annie got home she looked down the hallway, seeing Lexi's rag doll drawing hanging on her bedroom door. She hissed in anger, having asked the girl several times to take it down and instead was ignored each time. _Fine, if she won't take it down herself_, Annie thought as she marched over. Carefully she unpinned the poster from the door and laid it down gently on the girl's unmade bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie was on her laptop out on the terrace when she heard Lexi come home. She had a few more moments of peace before she heard a loud shriek, followed by the sound of Lexi stomping through the apartment and storming out onto the terrace. "What the hell did you do?"

"I took down that poster," Annie calmly stated. "I asked you several times to take it down and you didn't, so I took it down for you."

Annie involuntarily flinched as Lexi slammed the lid of her laptop shut. "Don't you EVER touch my artwork again? Do you understand me!"

"I will not have you speaking to me like that!" Annie yelled as she got up from her chair. "And I wouldn't have touched your drawing if you had listened to me and just taken it down."

"It's MY room!" Lexi yelled stubbornly.

"Well it's MY apartment. And I say I don't want any drawings on any outside doors of MY apartment. And as long as you're living under my roof you'll do what I say and start respecting me."

"Well maybe I won't live under your roof anymore."

"And what are you going to do, run away? It's not like you have any place else to go, that's why you're here!"

Instantly Annie deeply regretted saying that, especially after seeing the hurt look on Lexi's face. "Lexi, I'm sorry-"

But before she could come close to apologizing Lexi ran out the front door and raced out of the apartment, wanting to get as far away from Annie as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

Annie rapidly paced around the apartment in a panic. She knew she should call Jeff and tell him that his daughter had run off, but she was too ashamed to do it. She had told Lexi that she was only here because she had nowhere else to go. She's never said anything so terrible before and it was tearing her up inside.

She looked at the front door as the knob turned and Jeff walked in. "Hey Annie." He stopped in his tracks, seeing the look of alarm in her face. "What's wrong?"

"I did something terrible," Annie tearfully said.

Jeff quickly went over to her and pulled her into him. "What happened?"

"Me and Lexi got into a huge fight over that stupid poster on her door. And I said…I told her the only reason she was here was because she had nowhere else to live."

"What?" Jeff said in a low angry voice as he pulled back from Annie. "You said what to her?"

"I'm so sorry. It was a terrible thing to-"

"How could you say that!?" he yelled, causing Annie to flinch and involuntarily take a step backwards. "Do you have any idea what that sounds like? Now she's going to think we're only raising her because we got stuck with her."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was angry and it just came out of me."

"How in the hell could you have said something so heartless and stupid to my own daughter?!"

"I was angry Jeff!" she yelled, anger seeping into her shame. "She kept pushing me and pushing me, and I said something in anger. I'm not perfect."

"Clearly," he snidely said.

"I already feel terrible about this Jeff!" she insisted. "Don't make this worse. We don't need that right now!"

Jeff sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to somehow calm himself. "Alright. Tell me exactly what happened and what was said by each of you."

"I came home from work and saw that stupid doll drawing on Lexi's door," Annie said, feeling like she was being interrogated. "And after everything that happened this weekend I just couldn't stand looking at it anymore. So I took it down and put it in her room."

"Okay. Then what happened?"

"Then Lexi came home from school and flipped out when she saw that I'd taken it down. She yelled at me to never touch her stuff and I yelled back that she couldn't speak to me like that and she had to respect my wishes if we're living together. She then threatened to leave and live somewhere else, and that's when I said…" She hung her head in shame, keeping the conclusion to herself since Jeff already knew the ending.

Jeff started going to Lexi's room to hear her side of things, when Annie called out, "She's not here."

"What?"

"Lexi's not here. She ran out of the apartment after what I said."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he angrily asked.

"I was telling you what happened, Jeff. I'm _sorry_ I told you things in the _wrong_ order."

Jeff pulled his phone out and called Lexi, cursing when it rang once and then immediately went to voice mail. "Shit." He paused for a moment as he thought things through. "She probably went to her friend Cassidy's. I'm going to go see if she's there."

"I'll go with you. That way I can apologize and-"

"Annie," Jeff said sternly. "I think it'd be best if you stayed here."

With that Jeff walked of the apartment, leaving an upset Annie in his wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Cassidy pulled her front door open, immediately pulling Lexi into a hug at seeing how upset she was. "It's okay."

"I hate that bitch," Lexi said through her tears.

"I got that from your _my evil stepmother's a bitch _text," Cassidy said as she pulled back.

"Hello?" Mrs. Sawyer asked as she came down the stairs. "Oh, Alexis." At first she sternly looked at Lexi, remembering what happened the last time Lexi had come over. But her face immediately softened when she saw how upset the girl was. "Is everything alright?"

"Mom, Lexi's really upset about things at home. Is it all right if we went for a walk to talk?" Cassidy asked her mom.

"Of course. Just don't be out too late, it's a school night."

"Thanks mom." She quickly grabbed her jacket before the girls set off. "So what happened? You didn't really say anything in the text."

"That fucking princess threw me out of the apartment."

"What!" Cassidy yelled in shock. "How…why…what?"

"We got into a fight over this drawing I'd put on my door that she took down. I told her to never touch my artwork and she got all high and mighty, saying it was her house and I had to listen to her. Then she said that the only reason I was living there was because no one else wanted me."

"Oh my God, that's…" Cassidy stopped walking, holding onto Lexi's arm to stop her also. "That's horrible."

"I knew she was nasty and never wanted me around. It's just now finally out there." Lexi gasped as she wiped her eyes with her fingers. "I bet my dad's going to choose her over me. He made such a big freaking deal to _respect_ her and that we're _family_. I bet in the end he'll take her side over this and will happily kick me out."

"Lexi, no. You've said your dad loves you. He wouldn't turn his back on you."

"Well if he loves me then why does he keep that pocket princess around? I mean, she can't be that good in bed since she's so uptight. And I know he could find someone way hotter and more age appropriate. So if he really loved me he'd know how much I hate her and get rid of her for me."

Before Cassidy could respond both of their phones buzzed, indicated someone had posted something to their FaceBook pages. They pulled their phones out and brought up their profiles, seeing what had been posted. It was a badly photo shopped picture of Lexi's head on the body of a drug addicted hooker. At the top of the photo was the caption: 'Good thing my mom died before she could see me like this.'

"That fucking bitch," Cassidy exclaimed as she saw that the picture was from Stacy. "I don't know what her problem is but this…" she paused as she looked at her friend, seeing the dangerous look in her eyes. "Lex. Lexi?"

"Come on," she said as she marched down the street.

"Wait, where are we going?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lexi, I don't know about this."

"She deserves this," Lexi said as she and Cassidy crouched behind the bushes in front of Stacy's house, a carton of eggs in each of their hands. "She's made everyone's lives miserable for years. She deserves some payback."

"But what if we get caught? Lexi, think about this for a sec. She just posted that picture of you. It's going to look really suspicious if we-"

"Cassidy," Lexi hissed, almost dropping her carton. "I'm doing this. Are you going to help me or not?"

Cassidy took a breath before placing her own carton on the ground, looking back at Lexi defiantly. The two friends looked at each other for a moment before Lexi sighed in frustration. "Fine, keep look out." Lexi crept out from behind the bushes and cautiously approached the corvette before opening her box and starting to throw eggs at the car. She meant to do it quietly, but she started yelling in glee as the eggs exploded all over the doors and windshield.

"Lexi!" Cassidy yelled as the porch light came on. Lexi dropped her egg carton and both girls scampered off into the darkness.

Lexi ran for several blocks before finally stopping, figuring they'd put enough distance between them. "That was close," Cassidy said as she caught up with Lexi. "I know you have longer legs then me, but next time we have to bolt don't race half a block ahead of me." She wiped her forehead, working to catch her breath. "Did that make you feel better?"

"About Stacy, yes. But about my evil soon-to-be stepmother…" She trailed off as she shielded her eyes from an approaching car. Her eyes narrowed as she saw that it was her father's car. It stopped in front of them before Jeff got out.

"Lexi, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Well, here I am."

He paused at that before looking over at Cassidy. "Hello Cassidy. Thank you for being there for my daughter."

"Of course Mr. Winger," she coolly responded. "She's my sister. I'd do anything for her."

He nodded his head before looking back at Lexi. "Can we please get in the car so we can talk?"

Lexi stood there for several moments before saying goodbye to Cassidy and getting in the passenger seat."

"Do you need a ride home?" Jeff asked Cassidy.

"My house is only a few blocks from here. I can walk."

"Okay then. Goodnight." With that Jeff got in his car and drove off. "So, you want to talk about what happened?" he asked his daughter.

"Why do you have to be with such a bitch dad?"

Jeff's grip on the steering wheel tightened at hearing Annie insulted, but he managed to keep his cool. "First off, don't call her that. And second, I already talked to Annie about what happened. I want to hear your side of things."

Lexi was silent for several seconds before finally saying, "She took down my drawing from my door without my permission. My artwork is extremely personal to me and she just took it down like it was trash."

"Okay, maybe she shouldn't have done that. But to be fair, she did keep asking you to take it down and you ignored her. But that's not what really got you upset, isn't it?"

"She said I was only living there because no one else would take me in," she said as tears ran down her face. She looked over as Jeff held out a tissue. She gratefully took it and used it to wipe her face and blow her nose. "She hates me."

"Annie doesn't hate you. She was angry. And when people are angry they say hurtful things. She feels terrible about this and if you hear her out I know she'll apologize to you."

Lexi scoffed at that before looking at her father. "Do you regret me living with you two?"

"No Lexi, I don't," Jeff seriously said. "Yes, I'll admit it was an adjustment when you first moved in. I'm not even close to figuring out how to be a dad. But I love you, and I don't want you ever thinking we don't want you. I love you with all my heart." She smiled at hearing that, but the smile left her face when Jeff followed up with, "And Annie loves you too. Please just listen to her when we get back."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I feel terrible," Annie said as she looked up into Lexi's stony face. "What I said was out of anger, and way over the line. I'm so sorry I made you feel unwanted. There was no excuse for saying that to you. And I'm sorry."

"Fine, I accept your apology," she quickly said, more for her father's benefit then for actually feeling forgiving. "Though it's not like you really care about me. You made that pretty clear tonight."

"Lexi," Annie said with true seriousness. "Someday you'll learn the difference between being angry at someone, and true hatred and indifference."

"Is this about your own parents abandoning you," Lexi glibly spat back.

Annie paused, surprised that the girl knew this, before continuing. "I have no idea what it's like to have a parent unexpectedly die and leave me. But you have no idea what it's like to have parents turn their backs and throw you out of their lives. We may have our problems, but I'm not giving up on us someday having some sort of a relationship. And I hope you'll someday be able to get over whatever issues you have with me."

With that Annie walked out of Lexi's room, leaving the girl to think about what she had just heard.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Just a minute," Annie yelled as she ran to the front door. She opened it, completely surprised to see who was on the other side. "Cassidy, hello. If you're looking for Lexi she went to the movies with her dad."

"I actually came to see you Mrs. Winger."

"It's actually Miss Edison until the wedding," Annie said as she let the girl inside. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'm good Miss Edison."

Annie led the younger girl to the couch as they sat down. "May I ask why you came to see me?"

"Lexi was really upset when she came to see me last night. I haven't seen her that upset since her mom died. And you made her upset by telling her she wasn't wanted."

"Cassidy, I appreciate you coming to your friend's defense, but this really isn't your business."

"I think it is," she pressed on, despite being aware that she was overstepping her bounds. "Lexi is like a sister to me, and she shouldn't be made to feel unwanted. Especially after everything she's gone through."

Annie sighed in frustration, running her hands over her face as she tried to think about how to appropriately respond to this. "Cassidy, this is a very complicated situation for all of us. And yes, yesterday I said something terrible out of anger. But I care a lot about that girl. And I want to get along with Lexi and get to know her. But she keeps treating me like I'm some sort of enemy."

Cassidy looked at Annie, not sure what to think now that she'd heard her side of things. "It's not just you Miss Edison," Cassidy said, feeling a bit like she was betraying her friend with this admission. "She hasn't been the same since her mom died. She's been reckless and taking stupid risks. No matter how much I try to be there for her she keeps lashing out. I want to help, but I don't even know what to do at this point."

"Well, if you figure it out, make sure you tell me and Jeff. Although it seems he's gotten through to her more than I've been able to."

Cassidy nodded her head before looking at the clock on her phone. "I should go," she said as she got up from the couch. "I'm sorry I came barging over here."

"It's fine, you were just looking out for your friend," Annie said as she escorted the girl to the door. "Lexi is very lucky to have you in her life."

"Thanks." Cassidy opened the door and started to walk out before turning back. "You're not nearly as bad as Lexi's made you out to be."

"Thank you for that," Annie softly said as she closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Eleven hundred dollars!" Stacy yelled. "That's how much it's going to cost to repair it?"

"I know it's a lot, Miss," the mechanic told her. "But we're going to have to repaint all the spots on the car the eggs dried on. If you had wiped it off immediately there might not have been so much damage."

"I didn't know this happened until this morning!" Stacy yelled. "My dad heard some noise last night but couldn't see what'd happened to my car. I got up and found it like this."

"And I'm sorry. But since it's damaged the paint it's going to have to be repainted and refinished. Plus there's some dents from the eggs we have to bang out. And the side window's cracked, so we have to replace that. Bottom line, that's about how much it's going to cost to repair the car."

_I'm going to fine the assholes who did this_, Stacy angrily thought. _I'm going to find them and they're going to pay._


End file.
